Academic Integrity

Initial Meeting

If a Faculty Member has a reason to believe you might have cheated or plagiarized work in their course, they will reach out to you to set up a meeting. In this meeting, the goal is for you and the Faculty Member to discuss the allegations and attempt a resolution.

Requests & Information about Prior Occurrences

A Faculty Member might reach out to the Community Standards Office to request the presence of a Student Conduct Officer at the meeting and may ask if you have been found responsible for prior occurrences of Academic Misconduct. This information may be used when determining academic consequences (such as issuing a failing grade in the course).

Advisors

You also may also request a supporting person be present at the meetings. BOR 3.4.1 identifies this supporting person as an Advisor. An Advisor is a person of your choosing who has agreed to advise you throughout the process. If you choose to have an advisor present, choose one who is available to attend the scheduled meeting because their availability is not considered in scheduling by the Faculty Member.

Reaching an Informal Resolution

We state that an informal resolution is reached where either:

1. You and the Faculty Member both agree that no academic misconduct occurred; or if you
2. Sign the Informal Resolution form stating your agreement to take responsibility of the academic misconduct and to the academic consequences proposed.
   By signing the form, you waive the right to appeal both the fact that you engaged in the Academic Misconduct and the academic consequence. This form is then sent to the Community Standards Office by the Faculty Member. After reviewing the form, a Student Conduct Officer will assess appropriate conduct sanctions to you via a letter to your student email.

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If you and the Faculty Member are not able to come to an agreement after ten business days of that initial meeting, then the Faculty Member will inform the Community Standards Office that the allegation of Academic Misconduct will need to be addressed through BOR 3.4.1.

The Student Conduct Officer will review the allegation and make an initial determination if the allegations are credible and would constitute a violation of the Student Code. If the Student Conduct Officer determines the allegations need to be investigated, you will receive written notice via your student email within fifteen (business) days.

This notice will include an opportunity for you to meet with the Student Conduct Officer to give your account of the incident leading to the allegation of Academic Misconduct. The notice would also include information about informal and formal resolution processes, your right to have an advisor present, details about the alleged incident, and the section(s) of the Student Code alleged to have been violated.

The Student Conduct Officer will also set up a time for a hearing to occur ten to twenty days after the notice was deemed received by you (the next day administrative offices are open).

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Informal Resolution Reached through BOR 2.9.2

You may not appeal either the fact that you engaged in Academic Misconduct or the academic consequences imposed by the Faculty Member because you waive such appeal rights in agreeing and signing the Informal Resolution form.

You may appeal conduct sanctions limited to the following reason: that the conduct sanction(s) imposed were not appropriate.

Informal Resolution NOT Reached through BOR 2.9.2

You may appeal the academic consequence imposed by the Faculty Member pursuant to South Dakota Board of Regents Policy 2.9.2 – Student Appeals for Academic Affairs.

You may not appeal either the fact that you engaged in Academic Misconduct or the conduct sanctions imposed by the Student Conduct Officer because you waive such appeal rights in agreeing and signing the Informal Resolution form.

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All parties have a right to expect that this process will occur in a setting of strictest privacy. Privacy will be maintained unless a legitimate need to know is established in coordination with the Student Conduct Officer for the Faculty Member to complete their responsibilities as employees and in a manner consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and any other applicable laws and policies.

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Academic consequence(s) are not considered conduct sanctions kept in your conduct record; but rather, are an effect of the academic integrity standards set by the Faculty Member.

Conduct sanctions shall not be made part of the your permanent academic record; but shall become part of the your conduct record.

Your conduct record containing conduct sanctions other than suspension, expulsion, revoking admission and/or a degree, or withholding a degree, will be expunged seven years after the date of the original finding of a violation of the Student Code.

Your conduct record containing suspension, expulsion, revoking admission and/or degree, or withholding a degree shall be maintained permanently.

The Community Standards Office is the custodian of Student Conduct Records.

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