Purpose

To affirm the Vermont Technical College's commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work.

Statement of Policy

1. Infractions of Academic Honesty.

The following are prohibited by Vermont Technical College

1. Plagiarizing the work of others as defined below: Plagiarism consists of offering as one's own work the words, ideas, or arguments of another person, without appropriate attribution.
2. Buying or commissioning term papers, essays, or comparable documents and/or submitting the work of another as one's own.
3. Submitting work that had previously been prepared for another course in fulfillment of the requirements of a subsequent course, except when the student has obtained permission of the current instructor to do so.
4. Communicating during an examination session with the intent of copying from or supplying information to another student.
5. Receiving aid in taking examinations through such means as crib sheets or supplementary notes, excepting sources permitted by the instructor.
6. Soliciting, obtaining, or providing an examination or portions thereof either prior to or subsequent to an examination session except as authorized by the instructor.
7. Substituting for another student at an examination session.
8. Knowingly assisting any person committing an act of academic dishonesty.
9. Altering, changing, or forging college academic records, for either oneself or another.
10. Infringing upon the rights of other students to fair and equal access to college library materials and comparable academic sources.
11. Degrading, erasing, copying, or tampering with the computer assignments or computer files of another.
12. Using a PDA, cell phone, pager, internet connection or other electronic device during an examination without the permission of the instructor.

The above list is intended to illustrate the types of behaviors that are considered dishonest at Vermont Technical College. It is only a partial list; other behaviors may, in fact, violate the basic principles of academic honesty. Any student who is unsure whether a particular behavior is permissible under Vermont Tech's policy on academic honesty should consult a) the instructor of the course for which the work is being done, b) the student's advisor, or c) the Academic Dean.

2. Academic Sanctions

Any instructor who has proof that a student has cheated/plagiarized on academic work has the authority to take academic action up to and including dismissal from the course.

3. Notification

The instructor shall notify both the student and the Dean of Academic Affairs in writing of the infraction and of any sanction imposed upon the student. The Dean will monitor such claims and distribute copies of the letter to the Dean of the College, the student's file, advisor, department chairperson, and to the student. In addition, the student shall be notified by the Dean of Academic Affairs of his or her right to appeal course dismissal to the Dean of Academic Affairs. Decisions of the Dean of Academic Affairs regarding course dismissal shall be final.

4. Additional Disciplinary Sanctions

The Dean of Academic Affairs may initiate further disciplinary action, including dismissal from the College if the nature of the offense or a prior history suggests that further action is appropriate.

5. Appeals

Students have the right to appeal dismissal from the college to the Dean of the College within three college administrative working days of notification. Notification is deemed to be the date the letter is hand delivered to the student if the student is on campus, or three days following the date that the letter is mailed via certified mail to the student's known address if the student is off campus.

If the student is appealing an "F" grade for the course, then the student shall be allowed to remain in the course and participate fully in all course work until a determination on the appeal is made.

This appeal will be heard by a standing College Judicial Board, as noted in the Student Handbook. The faculty membership on the board shall rotate, so that there will always be experienced members on the College Judicial Board. The administrative representative is a non-voting member of the College Judicial Board and acts as a moderator during the appeal process. In the interest of expedience and/or impartiality, members of the board who are either involved in the incident at issue, or closely acquainted with the student involved, should excuse themselves from the hearings. An appropriate substitute will be appointed by the president or his or her authorized representative. In the event that all members of the College Judicial Board cannot be present for a hearing, said hearing will be postponed until a full committee can be convened.

The College Judicial Board will carry out whatever investigation it deems necessary to determine the guilt or innocence of the student. In all cases the student and the instructor shall have the right to speak directly to the College Judicial Board and present any evidence in his or her behalf.

The College Judicial Board shall rule only on the issue of guilt or innocence. The majority vote of the Board shall be forwarded to the Dean of the College. In the event of a tie vote, the Dean of the College and the Academic Dean will reach a determination. In the event that the deans cannot reach agreement, the appeal will be forwarded to the president for decision.

Each student who appeals will be sent a letter signed by the Dean of the College indicating the determination of the appeal and any action to be taken.

Every effort will be made to complete the appeal process within ten college administrative working days following receipt of the notification of request for appeal.