Lycoming College Academic Policies

FACULTY HANDBOOK STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

I. Definition

Academic dishonesty is a willful perversion of truth, or stealing, cheating, or defrauding in instructional matters. Students will have engaged in academic dishonesty if they copied the work of another without attribution, willfully allowed another to copy their work, falsified information, submitted the work of another as though it were their own, or committed other acts of plagiarism or actions deemed to be dishonest by the instructor.

II. Instructor's Role

Each instructor may, at the appropriate time, call to the students' attention the published statements in the College catalog regarding academic honesty. The instructor shall define for the students the limits within which the policy of academic honesty shall be applied, particularly in reference to plagiarism.

III. Procedure for Adjudication of Academic Dishonesty Cases

First Offense—When the instructor is confronted with and can prove an act of dishonesty, discretion should be used in disposing of the matter. If, in the instructor's judgment, the student acted in ignorance, it may serve little purpose to apply punitive measures when remedial action may be more appropriate. On the other hand, if the intent to be dishonest has been obvious and flagrant, punitive measures may be called for. The punitive measures shall be either (a) a reduction in the course grade to a degree determined by the instructor, or (b) immediate expulsion from the course with a grade of "F" assigned. The instructor shall report each instance of academic dishonesty to the Dean of the College. The report shall contain all pertinent information, such as dates, names, the nature of the dishonesty, and the nature of the instructor's action.

Second Offense—The Dean of the College shall, in all cases involving a second offense remand the case, with or without recommendation, to the Committee on Academic Standards for its consideration and action. The Committee on Academic Standards will conduct a hearing using the “General Provisions for Disciplinary Board Hearings” and “Order of Presentation in Disciplinary Board Hearings” of the Student Code of Conduct (see page 13). After due consideration, the Committee may take one of the following actions:

determine that the facts of the second offense were not sufficient to establish guilt, thereby causing the removal of any penalties imposed by the instructor(s);
determine that the facts of the second offense were sufficient to establish guilt, thereby causing one of the following penalties to be imposed in addition to any already imposed by the instructor(s): (a) suspension; (b) dismissal.

Cases involving academic dishonesty may arise in which not all of the persons involved are currently enrolled in the course The instructor shall report such cases in appropriate detail, through the Office of the Dean of the College, to the Committee on Academic Standards for its action.

The Dean of the College shall maintain a record of all written reports of academic dishonesty submitted to the Dean under this policy. The only instance wherein a notation concerning academic dishonesty may be made on a student's permanent record shall be where the student has been dismissed from the College therefor. In cases involving the first offense, the Dean may not amend the action taken by the instructor; however he/she may, at his/her discretion, suggest to the student and/or to the instructor involved certain preventive or remedial courses of action when, for example, the record indicates that such action is in the best interests of either party.

When the instructor becomes an accuser, he/she shall confront the student or students with evidence of dishonesty and shall not deny the student the right to explain and defend himself/herself. Proof of guilt must be reasonably established before punitive action is taken. In all academic dishonesty cases involving a second offense, the Dean of the College shall inform the student, in writing, of the reasons for the proposed disciplinary action, with sufficient detail, and in sufficient time, to insure opportunity to prepare for the hearing with the Committee on Academic Standards. The student shall have the opportunity to present witnesses who can testify to facts relevant to the allegations of misconduct, and may be assisted by an advisor of his/her choice, selected from the faculty, staff, or student body of the College.

In first offense cases, with action taken by the instructor, the student shall have the right to request, in writing and through the Office of the Dean of the College, a hearing by the Committee on Academic Standards. Hearings will be conducted using the “General Provisions for Disciplinary Board Hearings” and the “Order of Presentation in Disciplinary Board Hearings” (see page 13). The appeal of decisions of the Committee on Academic Standards is made to the President of the College.

In second offense cases, the student has the right to appeal a decision of the Committee on Academic Standards to the President of the College. These appeals must be submitted to the President within two weeks of the date of the decision of the Committee on Academic Standards.

If there are extenuating circumstances that suggest that an academic rule, policy, procedure, or requirement should not apply to you, you may present an appeal to the Committee on Academic Standards. An appeal form is available in the Registrar's Office or online at www.lycoming.edu/registrar/forms. You may also appeal deadlines and academic actions. Some of the types of petitions that the committee has considered (although not necessarily approved) include:

2. Waiver of residency requirement that the last eight courses be taken at Lycoming College;

5. Permission to schedule two Independent Studies in one semester or to grant permission to take an independent study with a GPA less than required;

The academic program at Lycoming is based upon the assumption that there is value in class attendance for all students. Individual instructors are responsible for establishing reasonable attendance policies in any given course. It is the instructor's responsibility to make these policies known early in the semester, and it is the student's responsibility to understand them and to act accordingly. When students have been absent from any class, it is their responsibility to ascertain what academic work has been missed and what should be done to make up this work. There are no officially sanctioned absences that excuse any student from the performance of the required work in any course.

Where examinations are involved, the instructor is under no obligation to give make-up examinations except in cases where students have been absent because of College-sponsored activities or other valid reasons. (The extent of the validity is to be determined by the instructor.) It is assumed all students will present themselves for final examinations at the time and place specified. Absences from final examinations are excused, with rare exceptions, only for medical reasons.

Faculty members are expected to judge whether absences are placing a student in a state of academic deficiency. When in the judgment of an instructor of a course, a student is found to be in academic deficiency by reason of absences, this judgment will be communicated in writing to the student and to the Assistant Dean for Freshmen, Assistant Dean for Sophomores, Associate Dean, and Dean of the College. Students in a given course who are found to be in a state of academic deficiency will not be permitted further absences for College-sponsored activities. When a student is ill and is hospitalized or sent home for immediate bed care by the College physician for a period of three days or more, the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs will notify the student's instructors. When a student is absent from class for three consecutive times without an explanation, faculty members are requested to notify the Office of Residential Life, so that Residential Life personnel might recommend, when needed, appropriate assistance. Other explanations of a student's class absence for a period of three days or more may be made by the Dean of Student Affairs or the Dean of the College when there are extenuating circumstances of an extreme nature (e.g. serious illness, death in the immediate family). No retroactive explanation of a student's class absence will be made.