A complaint of academic dishonesty against a student may be made by any person (faculty, staff or
student) having knowledge of the alleged activity. If a faculty member initiates the complaint, he/she
may not confiscate exam/assignment materials immediately but will notify the student after the
exam/assignment is completed that he/she will have a hearing on possible cheating. Such a complaint must
be made in writing, signed, addressed to the Dean of Students, and filed in the Dean of Students Office
within seven (7) calendar days of the alleged activity.
The Dean of Students shall investigate the allegations made in the complaint within seven (7) calendar
days of receipt of the complaint. If the Dean of Students determines there is reasonable cause to
believe that the student violated the Academic Honesty Policy or the items under “Misconduct,” the Dean
will notify the student in writing of the specific charges against him/her. The notice shall require the
student to make an appointment within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of said notice to discuss the
complaint with the Dean of Students. Failure to arrange said appointment shall be taken as an admission
of the allegation(s) contained in the complaint and a waiver of a request for a hearing. Consequently,
the Dean of Students shall assign a sanction deemed appropriate.
Pursuant to paragraph 2, the Dean of Students shall meet informally with the accused student and present
the complaint. If the Dean of Students determines that reasonable cause exists that the student is in
violation of the Academic Honesty Policy, the student may be offered the opportunity of executing a
statement accepting the sanction deemed appropriate by the Dean of Students and waiving the right to a
hearing before the Discipline Committee. Any student who fails to execute the aforementioned statement
shall be deemed to have demanded a hearing before the Discipline Committee. The purpose of this hearing
is to permit both the student and the complainant to present their respective sides of the alleged
incident.
In the event that the student demands a hearing before the Discipline Committee, the rules of notice and
hearing are the same as described in the Disciplinary Procedure section of the College Catalog/Student
Handbook.
Upon conclusion of the hearing, the Committee Chair will explain to the student the results of the
hearing and any penalty that will be imposed on the student. If the student is determined innocent, the
exam/assignment will be graded following the hearing. If student guilt is established through the due
process procedure for policy items “a” through “d” above, only then may the instructor assign a grade of
“0" or “F” on the assignment in question. For violations involving policy definitions “e” through “h”
above, the Discipline Committee may suspend the student for a specific period of time or expel the
student from the College.
The student may appeal the decision of the Discipline Committee to the President. Such an appeal must be
in writing, signed, and filed in the President’s Office within seven (7) calendar days of the decision.
