Academic Misconduct Resolution Process

Guidelines:

1. A student whose grade is determined through the Academic Misconduct Resolution Process is not permitted to submit a Grade Appeal.
2. A student is not permitted to take a W in a course to avoid the Resolution Process and resulting outcomes.
3. Academic Misconduct violations that are handled informally outside of these guidelines are not part of the student official disciplinary record and will not be counted as a previous Academic Misconduct violation.
4. Recognizing accreditation standards of professional degree programs, a college may be authorized by the Associate Provost to follow college specific academic integrity policies and processes.

Procedures:

Step 1: Instructor who suspects academic misconduct contacts the Associate Provost of Academic Operations or designee or KCAD’s Dean of Academic Affairs to check for prior academic misconduct violations and to discuss the potential scope of the alleged violation. (Complete Academic Misconduct Reporting Form). After reviewing a complaint, the Associate Provost of Academic Operations has the discretion to decide whether the situation should be addressed through this Resolution Process or if the situation should be addressed through formal disciplinary proceedings through the Office of Student Conduct or KCAD’s Office of Academic Affairs. Referral to the Office of Student Conduct typically happens when faculty believe they may have identified a substantial or serious of academic misconduct, or a student has had previous allegations of academic misconduct.

Step 2: Instructor will notify the student in writing of the details of the allegation(s) and request that the student make an appointment (Resolution Meeting) to meet with them to discuss the allegation.

Step 3: At the Resolution Meeting, the instructor will meet with the student and discuss their observations, any documentation in support of the allegation(s), and allow the student a chance to respond to the allegation(s) prior to determining if a violation occurred. The student has the right to have an advisor accompany them throughout disciplinary proceedings. An advisor is any individual chosen by the student to provide support before, during and after the academic misconduct process. This person may be an attorney, but at no point may this individual represent in place of the individual they are present to support. If a student fails to meet with an instructor, a decision may be made in their absence.

Step 4: Instructor will reach a decision on the allegation (using the preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not standard) and appropriate academic outcome(s) (if any) up to and including an F in the course.

Step 5: Instructor will send a decision letter to the student that includes a statement regarding their right to appeal, copying the next level administrator and the Associate Provost of Academic Operations.

Appeal Procedures

A student found responsible for violating an Academic Misconduct policy may appeal their outcome by submitting a written appeal within seven (7) days of receiving notification of the decision. The written appeal must include: the grounds for appeal and the remedy that the person appealing is requesting. Only the student may submit an appeal on their own behalf.
Appeals submitted by any other party will not be considered.

• Appeals of Outcomes Resulting in F in the Class: Reviewed by the Dean of the college the course is in or their designee.
• Appeals of LESS than Outcomes Resulting in F in the Class: Reviewed by the next level administrator above the instructor or their designee.
• All appeals should be directed to the Associate Provost of Academic Operations for administration.

Criteria for Appeal:
The appeal must be filed in writing by the appeal deadline date stated in the written outcome of the resolution meeting. Appeals must meet one of the following criteria:

1. Failure by the instructor to afford the student due process, or a procedural error in which may have been substantial enough to change the case outcome;
   and/or
2. The discovery of substantive new evidence which was unknown to the student at the time of the resolution meeting that could have a significant effect on the case outcome.
3. The severity of the outcome (ONLY in cases that result in an F in the class).

Procedure for when appeal is received

1. If the grounds for appeal have been sufficiently satisfied and the appeal is accepted, one of the following will occur:
   1. The instructor may be asked to meet with the student again with specific instructions to correct a procedural error and reconsider the allegation.
   2. The allegation may be adjudicated by a different instructor; or
   3. The outcome may be modified.
2. If the grounds for appeal have not been sufficiently satisfied, the original decision is upheld and outcomes are enforced.
3. Each student shall be limited to one appeal and shall not be entitled to appeal their appeal. The decision of the appeal shall be final.

Until the case is all the way through the appeals process/timeline, the student should continue to go to class (unless otherwise stipulated, typically by order of an interim suspension instituted by the Office of the Dean of Student Life or KCAD’s Dean of Student Success).

Appendix A: Ferris State University’s Academic Misconduct Violations

1. Cheating/Copying/Unauthorized Collaboration
A student may not use, or attempt to use unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise, nor should a student give assistance, materials, information, or study aids to another student in any academic exercise.

2. Fabrication
A student must not falsify or invent any information or data in an academic exercise including, but not limited to, records or reports, laboratory results, and citations of the sources of information.

3. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
A student must not intentionally or knowingly help or attempt to help another student to commit an act of academic misconduct.

Additionally, each student is responsible for taking reasonable precautions to ensure their work is not accessed by or transferred to another individual wherein it may then be used to commit a violation of the University academic misconduct policy.

4. Interference

1. A student must not steal, change, destroy, or impede another student’s work. Impeding another student’s work includes, but is not limited to, the theft, defacement, or mutilation of resources so as to deprive others of the information they contain.
2. A student must not give or offer a bribe, promise favors, or make threats with the intention of affecting a grade or the evaluation of academic performance.

5. Plagiarism

1. Proper Acknowledgement. A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, images, words, or statements of another person, including previous work of their own submitted for previous course credit, without appropriate acknowledgment.
2. Requirement for Acknowledgement v. Common Knowledge. A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge indebtedness whenever they quote or paraphrase another person’s words, either oral or written and whenever they use facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the information is common knowledge.
3. Sources used Verbatim. In instances where students are using content directly quoted from a source, that content MUST be indicated through the use of quotations AND properly cited both in-text and at the end of the document.

6. Violation of Course Rules
A student must not violate course rules as contained in a course syllabus which are rationally related to the content of the course or to the enhancement of the learning process in the course.

7. Violation of Professional Standards and Ethics
A student must not violate the professional standards or ethical code related to one’s intended profession as defined by the academic program or department.

Issue Date: 8/14/2020

Academic Misconduct Resolution Process

Office of Academic Affairs | 1201 S. State St. | Big Rapids, MI 49307
Phone: (231) 591-2300 | Fax: (231) 591-3592 | www.ferris.edu