Academic Standards
Academic Integrity Statement
The strength of Wilson College lies in the integrity and honesty of all its members. Being honest at Wilson means living up to the Honor Principle created by faculty and students. For this reason, academic dishonesty is not tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an exam (copying someone else’s work or using prohibited resources or materials, while taking an exam, whether inside or outside of class), allowing someone else to copy your work, and plagiarism (the presentation, intentionally or unintentionally, of someone else’s work as your own). Those found responsible for using unethical or prohibited means in academic work are subject to the College’s Academic Regulations and Joint Regulations of Faculty and Students found in the Blue Book. As a student, it is your responsibility to have read the Blue Book and to understand how cheating is defined at Wilson.
Academic Expectations and Dishonest Work
Membership in a community of scholars requires that students take responsibility for meeting the obligations involved in completing their academic work. Living under the Honor Principle also requires that students be honest with the Wilson community about how this work was accomplished. The most frequent tests of this requirement come in the form of academic dishonesty and plagiarism (defined below), ranging from cheating on an exam to improper documentation of material taken from other sources and used in a student’s research.
It is the responsibility of the academic community to make newcomers aware of their obligations as scholars and to assist in educating them as to what these obligations entail. Instructors should explain the proper conduct for taking and completing exams. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make clear to students what her/his expectations are regarding proper methods of documentation in coursework; it is the students’ responsibility to inquire about and familiarize themselves with these methods. A student may not present substantially the same paper for credit in two or more courses unless she/he has written permission from each instructor.
Definition
Academic dishonesty is defined as those actions by which a student fulfills her/his obligation to an assignment by unethical or prohibited means, such as – but not limited to – cheating on a test or consulting with others about how to answer questions on an exam.
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that involves the presentation – willful or unwitting – of someone else’s work as one’s own. This includes the use of direct quotations and paraphrasing, as well as excessive borrowing of the organizational pattern of a given source. Such sources include, but are not limited to, visual and printed materials, manuscripts, other students’ work and classroom lectures.
Avoiding academic dishonesty and plagiarism is a learning process for all scholars, and this should be taken into consideration when dealing with violations. In the case of minor or first offenses, an informal resolution – in which the faculty member would resolve the matter directly with the student – may be warranted. In the case of serious or repeated offenses or if an informal resolution was unacceptable to either of the parties involved, the procedures for reporting academic violations will be followed. These are found in Section B of the “Bluebook,” which describes the judicial system.
Reporting Academic Dishonesty
Faculty and students are expected to work together to resolve matters of academic dishonesty. The faculty member or the student may request that the matter be sent to the Joint Honor Council at any time during this process.
Instructors suspecting an incident of student academic dishonesty must confront the student(s) regarding the allegation. If, after the confrontation, the instructor determines that academic dishonesty has not occurred, no further action needs to be taken.
If the instructor believes that academic dishonesty has occurred, she or he can resolve the matter with the student, provided the student agrees to the findings and with the fairness of the sanction(s). The instructor must then complete an Academic Dishonesty Report within one week of discovering the incident, submit it to the vice president for academic affairs/dean of the faculty and send a copy to the student. On this report, the faculty member will indicate the name of the student, the course number and title, a description of the events that led to the charge of academic dishonesty and the action taken after discussing the matter with the student. A good faith effort should be made to obtain the student’s signature before the report is forwarded to the dean. In cases when the student is unavailable, the dean will inform the student of the allegation.
If the instructor thinks that academic dishonesty has occurred but is unable to reach an agreement with the student regarding the merits of the charges, the student can either accept the sanctions or request that the matter be brought before the Joint Honor Council. If the matter is brought before the Joint Honor Council, the Academic Dishonesty Report would not be filed unless the student is found guilty of academic dishonesty. If a student is issued a failing grade for the work or the course or if the case is sent to Joint Honor Council, the student may not withdraw from the course until the issue is resolved. In addition, the instructor’s permission is required to withdraw, if permitted, after the matter is resolved.
The vice president for academic affairs/dean of the faculty will review these reports and keep them on file until a student graduates or five years after the last course has been taken. Repeated incidents will result in further action, which may include submitting the student to Joint Honor Council.