Students who fail to cite sources, plagiarize or cheat may face expulsion, even for a first-time offense, said representatives from the Dean of Students Office at a panel on academic dishonesty yesterday.
While expulsion is rare, students can still find themselves in hot water when they fail to cite material or cheat on exams, said Alexis Hernandez, associate dean of students.
First-time offenders can expect to be sanctioned any number of ways for their academic dishonesty, Hernandez said.
"On a first-time plagiarism offense, you're looking at a zero on the assignment, a lower grade in the class or failing grade in the class," he said.
According to the Academic Code of Integrity, a faculty member who thinks a student's work is suspect should initiate the investigation. The faculty member should then notify the department head of that college, who can recommend how the faculty member should proceed.
At that time, students can appeal the case brought against them. If students aren't satisfied with the result and/or sanction, they can take that decision to the University Hearing Board to appeal it, said Hernandez.
Typically, five cases per year go to the University Hearing Board. But over the last year and a half, close to 30 cases have been brought to the board, Hernandez said.
The hearing board hears both the student's and faculty member's points of view to determine whether a violation occurred.
Both the student and faculty board members can only serve on the board if they don't know the faculty member and student involved, eliminating the possibility of bias, Hernandez said.
The panel then deliberates as to whether a violation occurred. If it decides a violation occurred, the panel decides what sanctions need to be levied, if any, against the student involved. The provost is next in line to decide the fate of the matter, Hernandez said.
If it decides no violation occurred, the matter is dropped.
The provost has two weeks to determine the next step in the process. That decision is largely based on what the panel decided, Hernandez said, adding that the provost's decision is final.
Michael Riggs, an associate professor of veterinary science and microbiology, said faculty need to spell out in black-and-white terms in their syllabi what they consider academic dishonesty, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
"You have to remember we're living in a litigious society, and you have to spell things out," Riggs said.
The three faculty members who serve on the hearing board are elected by President Peter Likins, whose decision is based off recommendations through the Faculty Senate.
The two student members are selected by the student body president.
Kristin Robbins, a history senior and student hearing board member, said it's not difficult for professors to know whether students are cheating and to track down information used for plagiarizing.
"If you're writing in a style that's not typical of your own, teachers can pick up on that pretty quickly," she said. "Give everyone their due credit."
Jered Mansell, a political science senior and hearing board member, said it's very tempting to want to cheat when you're staring at your computer screen at 3 a.m. But Mansell said it's not worth it in the grand scheme of things.
Mansell's strategy for preventing academic dishonesty is simple.
"Just cite your sources no matter where that source may come from," he said. "Always cite and be honest."