Reporting Cases of Academic Dishonesty

If the instructor has a concern about a student's academic honesty, even if it is only a suspicion with no proof, the Associate Dean must be notified. Students may report an instance of alleged academic dishonesty by filing a written account of the details with the instructor. The instructor should then send a copy of the account to the Associate Dean. The instructor and the Associate Dean will consult and decide on a proper course of action, which may include questioning the individual(s) involved or other witnesses to the incident.

Reasons for alerting the Associate Dean to all suspicions of academic dishonesty include the following:

1. A centralized handling of all academic dishonesty cases has been deemed advisable for the sake of fairness and equitable treatment for all students.
2. Any repeat offender will be dealt with more severely. The Associate Dean keeps a file on all cases and will check to see if the student has been in difficulty before.
3. The Associate Dean can consult with the instructor about ways of handling the situation.
4. The Associate Dean can help evaluate the evidence.
5. The Associate Dean will call in the student to meet with him or her and discuss the case. The instructor may wish to call the student in first, but, although that is advisable, it is not mandatory.
6. The Associate Dean will decide, based on the case in relationship to other cases, whether it must go to the student judiciary or not. It must be pointed out, however, that the instructor and the student have the right to go to the student judiciary independently of the Associate Dean's decision.