The Dean of Students Office manages the process for allegations academic misconduct. The information below is provided to assist members of the Dickinson community in bringing forward an allegation of academic misconduct.
What to Submit
Any time faculty suspect a student has violated academic conduct expectations, the relevant information should be forwarded to the Vice President and Dean of Student Life Office using the Allegation of Academic Misconduct Form. All supporting documents should be attached, as outlined on the forms’ instructions. A detailed description summarizing the allegations is required, with a sample description provided below:
"In grading Ingrid’s final paper for ETH 799, which is 20% of her final grade for the course, I noticed that Ingrid’s paper was written in a very different tone than her past work and suspected unauthorized assistance in this paper. After a quick google search, I realized much of the third and fourth page of Ingrid’s work appear to be taken verbatim from an article entitled “Financial Oppression” published in the Journal of Advanced Psychological Disorders in January 2002. I have spoken with Ingrid about this concern. She stated that she did reference that article in her final paper but simply forgot to cite it. I believe Ingrid is not fully forthcoming in her response, as there are two entire pages that directly match the article."
Submitting a Suspected Violation of Academic Misconduct
Once an alleged incident of academic misconduct is received, Bridget Burnhisel, Director of Student Conduct, reviews the information to determine what policies or standards are in question. At that point, a notice letter is generated and sent to the student, along with a copy of all supplemental information submitted.
Academic Misconduct Resolution Options
After an allegation of academic misconduct is submitted, cases may be resolved through an informal resolution or a formal resolution. The pathway depends on the faculty member’s preference, the student’s response to the allegation, and whether the student has any prior academic misconduct findings.
Informal Resolution
Faculty may select informal resolution as the preferred response to an academic misconduct concern. This selection will be honored unless the student has a prior academic misconduct case on record.
Informal resolution may be used when:
- The faculty member identifies it as the preferred pathway, and
- The student accepts responsibility, and
- The student does not have a prior finding of responsibility for academic misconduct.
Under informal resolution:
- The faculty member and student discuss the violation and agree on an academically appropriate outcome (e.g., a warning, a zero on the assignment, a redo opportunity).
- The outcome is documented with the Office of Student Conduct.
- A conduct record is maintained, but no hearing takes place.
- If the student has a prior academic misconduct finding, informal resolution is not permitted. The case must then proceed through formal resolution.
Formal Resolution
If informal resolution is not permitted (due to prior misconduct) or the student does not accept responsibility, the case proceeds to formal resolution. Formal resolution may occur in one of two ways:
Administrative Hearing
An administrative hearing may occur when:
- The student accepts responsibility, and;
- The student has no prior opportunity for an administrative hearing for academic misconduct.
In an administrative hearing:
- A single trained hearing officer reviews the information, confirms responsibility, and determines appropriate sanctions.
- The complaining faculty member does not attend.
Panel Hearing
A panel hearing will occur when:
- The student does not accept responsibility, or;
- The student has a prior academic misconduct finding, or;
- The student has already had an administrative hearing opportunity in a previous case.
Panel Composition:
- A faculty chair (Associate Provost or designee)
- One faculty member
- One student panelist
The panel reviews the case, hears from the parties, determines responsibility, and assigns sanctions when appropriate.
Notification and Outcome
- Students receive a notice letter outlining the allegations, the relevant policies, and the next steps.
- Outcomes from either informal or formal resolution are communicated to the student and the faculty complainant.
- Sanctions may include assignment penalties, course failure, or additional educational or disciplinary sanctions depending on severity and prior conduct.
Questions
Please also refer to our Faculty Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to specific questions. Questions not answered here are welcomed by the Dean of Students Office.