The following procedure
will be used to deal
with all matters of academic dishonesty, final
course grade appeals, or other academic grievance.
Under no circumstances are any of the
steps outlined below to be omitted.
Academic Integrity:
An academic community of integrity
strives for excellence by creating a learning environment
where high academic standards in terms of student performance,
program integrity, course development and requirements
are encouraged. This can only be realized if the community
is aware of and adheres to clearly established
values and goals where the end is personal and
academic integrity. Our commitment to the
values of academic integrity contributes to
St. Edward’s University’s being a quality
institution of higher learning and that adherence
to the Mission Statement will continue to
be fulfilled.
The ability to express ourselves
articulately in
both oral and written form requires an ability
for critical and creative thinking which necessitates
a clear sense of academic integrity.
Academic integrity is important because it
involves values which can be grounded in both
reason and faith. The core values of academic
and personal integrity are:
- Honesty: An academic
community of integrity advances the quest for truth and
knowledge by requiring intellectual and personal honesty
in learning, teaching,
research, and service.
- Fairness: An academic
community of
integrity establishes clear standards, practices,
and procedures and expects fairness
in the interactions of students, faculty,
and administrators.
- Trust: An academic
community of integrity fosters a climate of mutual trust,
encourages the free exchange of ideas, and enables all
to reach their highest potential.
- Respect: An academic
community of integrity recognizes the participatory
nature of the learning process and honors
and respects the work of others and
the members of the learning community.
- Responsibility: An
academic community of integrity upholds personal accountability
and depends upon action in the
face of wrongdoing.
We achieve this not only through publication
and proclamation of these values, but also by
creating a learning environment where these
values can be realized.
St. Edward’s University expects
academic
honesty from all members of the community,
and it is our policy that academic integrity be
fostered to the highest degree possible.
Consequently, all work submitted for grading
in a course must be created as a result of your
own thought and effort. Representing work as
your own when it is not a result of such
thought and effort is a violation of our code
of academic integrity. Whenever it is established
that academic dishonesty has occurred,
the course instructor shall impose a penalty
upon the offending individual(s). It is recognized
that some offenses are more egregious
than others and that, therefore, a range of
penalties should be available. Whenever possible,
it would also be important to try to
determine the intent of the offender, since the
error could be a result of careless work rather
than an intent to deceive. The maximum
penalty for a first offense is failure in the course, and
if that penalty is imposed, the student does not have the
option of withdrawing from the course. In cases
of mitigating circumstance, the instructor has the
option of assigning a lesser penalty.
After obtaining sufficient evidence
that such
dishonesty has occurred, the instructor should
discuss the question with the student.
Instructors who impose a penalty for serious
academic dishonesty should report this penalty
to the dean or director of the program in
which the course is offered. The dean or
director will report confirmed cases of dishonesty to the dean
of Academic Services,
and a record of all offenses will be kept by the
Office of the Dean of Academic Services.
Offenses that resulted in failure in the course
will then be reported to the Office of the
Registrar.
The Dean of Academic Services will
determine
whether an earlier serious offense by the
student has been recorded. A second serious
offense merits an automatic appeal. Upon
denial of this appeal, the dean of Academic Services will dismiss the student from the
university and notify the registrar and the
dean or director.
A procedure for student appeal is
already
established and is outlined in detail in the section
Appeal of Final Course Grades, but it
should be noted that, for appeals of decisions
regarding academic dishonesty, the student
must appeal to the dean of the school or program
director within five working days after
being notified by the instructor.
back to top
Academic Grievance:
Academic grievances involving such
matters as
the instructor’s conduct of a class or a grade
received for a particular test or assignment are
to be settled by the concerned instructor and
the student. If both parties fail to settle the
dispute, either party may appeal to the dean
of the appropriate school, New College or
graduate program. If the grievance is not
resolved with the aid of the dean of the
school, the appeal may be made to the Dean
of Academic Services (undergraduate programs)
or the Dean of Graduate and Adult
Services (New College, graduate and adult
programs). The decision of the dean is final.
back to top
Appeal of Final Course Grade:
The duty of an instructor to evaluate
the performance of students in accordance with
sound academic policies is fundamental to the
formal education process. Should a student
feel that the final course grade received from
an instructor is either in error or academically
indefensible, the student should first make
every effort to settle the disagreement with
the instructor. Only after the instructor and
the student have failed to reach an agreement
should further action be taken.
If the question is not settled by
the instructor and the student, that student may appeal
in
writing to the dean of the appropriate school,
New College, graduate program, or University Programs.
If the grade in question was received
during
the spring semester or a summer term, the
dean of the school must receive the appeal on
or before Oct. 1. Appeal of grades received
during the fall semester must be made on or
before March 1. Appeals ordinarily are heard
only during the long semesters. During the
summer sessions, the consideration of the
appeals is dependent on the availability of all
parties concerned, and the timeline is adjusted
accordingly by the appropriate dean.
The dean of the school shall attempt
to bring further clarification to the issues by interviewing
both the student and the instructor or by any other means
he/she deems appropriate. The dean of the school may either
rule that the student has no basis for an appeal or recommend
that the instructor change the grade. This decision shall
be in writing, a copy being sent to each individual involved
within 15 working days after notification of the appeal
during the fall and spring semesters (fall, spring and
summer trimesters for graduate programs). During the summer
sessions, the timeline is adjusted by the dean of the school
as needed in accord with the availability of the parties
concerned.
If the student or the faculty member
has a
basis for contesting the decision of the dean
of the school, the student or the faculty member
may appeal to the appropriate dean by filing
a written request with the appropriate
dean’s office for a hearing before the respective
Academic Appeals Committee. Appeals of grades by undergraduate
students (New College see below) will be directed to the
Dean of Academic Services. Appeals of
grades in New College, graduate and adult
programs will be directed to the Dean of
Graduate and Adult Services. This request
must be filed within five working days after
the response of the dean of the school. The
following procedure will be used by the
Academic Appeals Committee:
back to top
Procedures for Academic Appeals
Committee:
- No more than five working days
after filing the request, the appellant must submit
to the appropriate dean all the information
felt to be pertinent to the appeal.
This information must be in writing and
supported in detail and should specify
what additional support (persons or documents)
the party will bring to the hearing
itself. Students appealing grades are
reminded that the burden of proof
is upon the student to show that a
capricious, arbitrary, or prejudicial
academic evaluation has occurred.
- The appropriate
dean will then schedule
a meeting of the respective Academic Appeals Committee consisting of the
dean or his/her delegate as chairperson,
two faculty representatives chosen from a
pool of faculty designated each year for
that purpose, and two students chosen
from a pool of students appointed each
year for this purpose. This pool of
students will include, but is not limited
to, the four students on the Academic
Council and four students each from
New College and the graduate programs.
Assignment to a particular committee is
made through the respective dean’s office
on the basis of neutrality regarding the
issue and availability for service.
- At the meeting,
both the student and the
instructor may be accompanied by an advisor. The advisor may not be an attorney.
Both the student and the instructor
and their advisors and witnesses for each
party may testify and be questioned. If either student or facuty waive their right to be present at the hearing, this waiver must be in writing. A statement of their position may be read to the committee instead. All pertinent documentation must be presented during the hearing when it is scheduled. Any documentation missing may not be added at a later date.
- After evidence
has been heard, all parties
will be dismissed and the committee will
immediately deliberate and decide the
case. The dean may share the decision
orally with the student at the conclusion
of the hearing deliberations. The dean
will send a formal letter to the student,
the dean of the school, and the instructor
informing them of the decision of
the committee.
- In any instance where a member
of the committee is a party to the appeal, that
member shall automatically be disqualified.
The dean will appoint a replacement.
back
to top
Authority:
The Appeals Committee has the authority
to
dispose of appeals by either dismissing them
for lack of evidence or by requiring a change
of grade. If the committee decides that a grade
should be changed, the presiding dean will require that
the faculty member who taught the course or
the dean of the school in which the course
was offered provide a different grade.
Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
back to top |
