Faculty are encouraged to inform their students that plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity. Some faculty choose to put the following statement or a similar one on their syllabi:
Plagiarism, which occurs when a student misrepresents the work of another as his or her own, is a form of cheating or fraud. Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, art work, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgment, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own. Any assignment found to be plagiarized will be given an "F" grade. All instances of plagiarism in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts will be reported to the Associate Dean of Student Services in the College, who will then report any instance to the Office of Student Conduct.
For any assignment or examination found to involve plagiarism or some other form of cheating a faculty member may assign an "F" grade. Depending on how grades are assigned in the class an “F” on an assignment or examination might also lead to an “F” in the class. Faculty are expected to explain to the student why they are assigning an “F” grade, the seriousness of the violation, and that an official report is being filed with the College and with the Office of Student Conduct.
Faculty identifying plagiarizing or cheating complete a Report of Plagiarism/Cheating for the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, which asks the following of the faculty member:
Please briefly describe the circumstances surrounding the incident of plagiarism/cheating, and attach any supporting materials (the paper submitted by the student, copies from the source, your syllabus with policy regarding plagiarism/cheating, etc.). Also, please summarize any other information that you feel might be relevant, such as what you told the student, what grading or other actions you have taken, how the student responded, and your evaluation of your student's understanding of plagiarism/cheating as a serious academic offense.
The faculty member gives the report to the Department Chair or School Director for review and comment. The report with the Chair/Director’s comments and signature is forwarded to the Associate Dean of Student and Curricular Services, who keeps a confidential file on such instances in the College and forwards the report to the Office of Student Conduct. The Associate Dean of Student Services sends the student a letter informing the student that a file has been created, stressing the seriousness of the offense, and letting the student know that the instance has been reported to the Office of Student Conduct.
The Office of Student Conduct reviews the report and decides if additional sanctions, beyond the “F” on the assignment or class are appropriate. If the Director of Student Conduct determines additional sanctions are appropriate, the Director will follow the usual procedures for addressing violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
Ordinarily, students who have submitted an assignment with plagiarized material or who have cheated will not be permitted to withdrawal from that class in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts. However, where there has been a minor infraction and the student provides documentation of a serious and compelling reason to withdraw beyond the student’s control, a petition for withdrawal may be considered, if supported by instructor, Chair, and Associate Dean of Student Services.
If a student feels they have been wrongly accused of plagiarism or cheating, s/he may appeal an “F” grade by following the Academic Senate’s policy on grade appeals and any other sanctions through the Office of Student Conduct’s hearing processes.