Information for Faculty
If you suspect a student has plagiarized:
Assemble evidence to verify your suspicions. Examples include, but are not limited to: Using Turnitin to evaluate student writing. Running suspicious excerpts though AI detectors such as Copyleaks, ZeroGPT, Huggingface, etc. Copying and pasting suspicious excerpts from student work into Google. Copying and pasting suspicious excerpts from student work into the library databases. If you discover the source from whence the plagiarized work came, save, copy, or print that source for your records.
It is important to act when you encounter student plagiarism. Options include:
Per the Student Conduct Code:
(1) Bringing Allegations:
(a) Any student or employee may report an alleged violation of the Student Conduct Code through an electronic reporting tool made available through the Office of Student Affairs. If a conduct report is received by an employee or office other than Student Affairs it must be routed to the Office of Student Affairs.
(b) All allegations should be submitted as soon as possible after the event or knowledge of the event takes place, preferably within Fifteen (15) business days. After this timeframe, and except where longer timeframes are required by law, no allegation may be submitted without prior written permission of the Executive Vice President of Access, Learning & Success or their designee who may grant or deny such permission at their sole discretion.
(c) The Student Conduct Administrator will determine if the allegations contained in the incident report are within the parameters of the administration of the student conduct code. The Student Conduct Administrator may conduct an initial investigation to determine if the allegation has merit and/or if they can be addressed administratively by mutual consent of the parties.
(d) The Student Conduct Administrator shall present all allegations in written form to the student.
(e) A time shall be set to discuss the allegation(s) during a conduct meeting not more than ten (10) business days after the student has been notified of the alleged violations. Maximum time limits for scheduling a conduct meeting may be extending at the discretion of the Student Conduct Administrator.
SANCTIONS
The following sanctions may be imposed upon any student found to have violated the Student Conduct Code (more than one of the sanctions listed may be imposed for any single violation)
(1) Warning - Official notice in writing or given verbally to the student that the student is violating or has violated the Student Code of Conduct. Such warning will be recorded in the student’s conduct record.
(2) Probation – A written reprimand. Probation is for a designated time period. Probation includes but is not limited to rehabilitative or restorative action with the probability of more severe disciplinary sanctions if the student violates any College rules during the probationary period.
(3) Dismissal/Suspension – Temporary separation of the student from the College or specific activities/events, buildings or locations for a defined period of time, after which the student is eligible to request, in writing, permission of the student conduct administrator to be readmitted. Such permission may be granted or denied at the sole discretion of the student conduct administrator. Additional conditions for readmission may be specified including, without limitation, the completion of the normal application process.
(4) Expulsion – Permanent separation of the student from all College locations, events and activities.
IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING SANCTIONS MAY BE INCORPORATED INTO ANY OF THE ABOVE SANCTIONS:
(a) Behavioral Requirement – Required activities including, but not limited to: seeking academic or personal counseling, substance abuse screening, written apology, etc.
(b) Discretionary sanction - Work assignments, essays, workshops, services to the College or other related discretionary assignments.
(c) Eligibility restriction - Student deemed not in good standing for conduct purposes for a specific time period. Restriction may include:
i. Ineligibility to hold an office in any registered student organization or hold an elected or appointed office at the College, or
ii. Ineligibility to represent the College in any way, including participating in a study abroad program, attending conferences or representing the College at an official function, event or competition, whether virtually or in-person
iii. Loss of privileges – Denial of specified privileges for a designated time period. Student may be denied specific privileges or be restricted to a specific mode of coursework. 3354-1-30-03.5 8 (5) Reasonable fines - may be imposed as determined by the student conduct administrator.
(6) Revocation of admission and/or degree – Student Affairs may recommend to the Board of Trustees that the Board vote to revoke a degree awarded from the College on the basis that the student has engaged in conduct established as dishonest, fraudulent, misrepresentation or any other violation of the College standards for obtaining the degree, or for other serious violations committed by a student prior to graduation.
(7) Restitution – Compensation for Loss, damage or injury. This may take the form of appropriate service and/or monetary or material replacement. This is not a fine, but rather a repayment for the value of the property or loss of service due to damage or loss inflicted.
(8) Withholding degree – The College may withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the completion of the Student Conduct System Procedures, including completion of all sanctions imposed, if any.
(9) Group sanctions – The following sanctions may be imposed upon groups or registered student organizations found to have violated the Student Code of Conduct One or more of the sanctions listed above; or
(10)Deactivation, de-recognition or loss of all privileges (including status as a registered student organization) for a specific time period.
(11)A violation that leads to a suspension, expulsion or other sanction may have the additional consequence of loss of tuition and fees. While not a sanction, students should consider this as a potential consequence resulting from violations of the Student Conduct Code.
Student Right to Appeal
(G)Appeals
(1) Appellate Board Panel - The Appellate Board Panel shall consist of three (3) of the following individuals from a cross section of the campuses: Student Affairs Deans and Assistant Deans, Academic Affairs Deans and Assistant Deans, Associate Deans, full time faculty, and/or staff members at Director level and above. 3354-1-30-03.5 11
(2) Appeal Process
(a) A decision reached by the Student Conduct Administrator or a sanction imposed by the Student Conduct Administrator may be appealed by the respondent. within ten (10) business days of the date the Student Conduct Administrator’s decision letter is issued. Notice of intent to appeal must be in writing and must set for the documentation that provides the basis of the appeal. The appeal shall be limited to a review of the record of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing and supporting documents for one or more of the following purposes:
(b) To determine whether the conduct meeting and/or level one hearing was conducted fairly in light of the alleged violations and information presented, and in conformity with prescribed procedures. Any inquiry into fairness shall consider, at a minimum, whether the complaining party had a reasonable opportunity to prepare and to present information that the Student Conduct Code was violated, and whether the respondent had a reasonable opportunity to prepare and to present a response to those allegations. Deviations from prescribed procedures will not be a basis for sustaining an appeal unless such deviations might reasonably have led to a different decision and/or different sanctions than were imposed.
i. To determine whether there were facts presented that, if believed by the Student Conduct Administrator, were sufficient to establish that a violation of the Student Conduct Code occurred.
ii. To determine whether the sanction(s) imposed were appropriate for the violation of the Student Conduct Code which the respondent was found to have committed.
iii. To consider whether the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing should be reopened to allow the Student Conduct Administrator to review newly available information. The Appellate Board may direct a re-opening of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing to review newly available information if and only if the Appellate Board determines that:
1. the appellant neither knew nor should have known such information at the time of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing, and the information could reasonably be expected to alter the decision made by the Student Conduct Administrator.
(3) Appellate Board Decision - Following the Appeal, the Appellate Board shall advise the respondent, in writing of the Appellate Board’s decision.
(a) If the Appellate Board overturns the decision of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing, the matter will be returned to the Student Conduct Administrator for re-opening of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing as applicable. In accordance with the ruling of the Appellate Board the Student Conduct Administrator shall reconsider the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing determination and/or sanction(s). The Student Conduct Administrator shall then issue a Decision Letter in accordance with this procedure. The student may appeal the findings in the Decision Letter per Section F(5) of this procedure as any other Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing.
(b) If the Appellate Board upholds the decision of the Conduct Meeting and/or Level One Hearing, the matter shall be considered final and binding upon all involved.