Academic Integrity

Keuka College expects students to fulfill academic assignments independently and honestly, including all matters related to Field Period®. Students are made aware through course syllabi of the permitted use of external assistance in their assignments. Any cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic integrity violations at Keuka College will be penalized, with sanctions ranging from an “F” on a specific assignment to expulsion from the College.

Academic Integrity Definitions

Cheating refers to the use of unauthorized or inappropriate assistance on academic assignments. Unauthorized aid includes, but is not limited to, the help of other people, use of any electronic or printed material, generative Artificial Intelligence, personal notes, and editing services. Students should assume that assistance should not be used unless it has been expressly permitted by the faculty member in the course syllabus. It is the students’ responsibility to know the limits of assistance, if any, permitted on any assignment.

The faculty of Keuka College abide by the definitions of plagiarism offered by James D. Lester in Writing Research Papers, 4th ed., pages 95-96 (Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company). The following is reprinted with permission of Scott, Foresman and Company:

“Fundamentally, plagiarism is the offering of words or ideas of another person as one’s own. While the most blatant violation is the use of other students’ work, the most common is the unintentional misuse of your reference sources… An obvious form of plagiarism is copying direct quotations from your source material without crediting the source. A more subtle form, but equally improper, is the paraphrasing of material or use of an original idea that is not properly introduced and documented…”

Student’s’ use of source materials requires them to conform to a few rules of conduct:

1. Acknowledge borrowed materials within the text by introducing the quotation or paraphrase with the name of the author from whom it was taken. This practice serves to indicate where the borrowed materials began.
2. Enclose within quotation marks all quoted materials.
3. Make certain that paraphrased material is rewritten in the student’s own style and language. The simple rearrangement of sentence patterns is not sufficient.
4. Provide specific documentation for each borrowed item.
5. Provide a citation on the reference or works cited page for every book or journal that is referred to in the paper.

Other possible violations of academic integrity include:

1. Falsely claiming to have done work or obtained data.
2. Misrepresenting reasons for not completing assignments or taking examinations as scheduled.
3. Submitting the same work in different courses without the prior approval of the instructors.
4. Forging a signature on any college document.
5. Damaging or stealing college documents and/or equipment from the library, computer center, classrooms, or other academic resource areas.

Although cases of vandalism against college property described above in item (e) will be adjudicated through the Student Conduct Code, they are also listed here as violations of academic integrity. The damage or theft of academically related resource materials and equipment by an individual student severely jeopardizes the pursuit of learning and academic performance of others in the College community. Students found guilty of committing acts of vandalism against academic property transgress both the Student Conduct Code and the Academic Integrity Policy, and therefore are more likely to receive severe penalties for their violation of community standards, including immediate dismissal.

Allegations of Academic Integrity Violations

An instructor who discovers evidence of cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic integrity violations will notify the student of the suspected violation and the evidence upon which it is based as soon as possible after the offense is discovered. The student should meet with the faculty member to present an explanation to the instructor. After talking with the student, the instructor may choose not to pursue the matter based on the information provided. If after talking with the student, the instructor still maintains that an academic integrity violation has occurred, a formal charge will be filed against the student with a penalty imposed as outlined in the course syllabus after consulting with the Division Chair. The instructor should send a written statement to the Provost’s Office that: (a) details the alleged violation, (b) clearly states the course penalty(ies) to be imposed and (c) includes all supporting documents for the case.

The provost or designee(s) will adjudicate the matter and review the submitted materials including any student input or appeal (see below).

Student Appeal Process

A student may accept an instructor’s charge of academic integrity violation and the imposed course penalty(ies) or appeal the decision; a letter describing the incident and the supporting evidence will be placed in the student’s record in the Academic Affairs Office. However, if the student disputes the charges, then the student has ten (10) business days from the time the charge is received to submit an appeal in writing. In sequence, appeals may be made to the faculty member’s Division Chair and the provost or designee (and possibly the Academic Review Board). In cases where a division chair is the faculty member levying the charge of an academic integrity violation, a student should appeal directly to the provost or designee.

At any stage of the appeal, the Division Chair, the provost’s designate, or Academic Review Board may dismiss or reaffirm the charge based on a thorough review of the evidence. If the charges against the student are dismissed at any stage of the process, all the parties involved in the decision will be informed in writing. All parties have the right to appeal any decision except the provost’s decision which is final.

All decisions will be rendered within a reasonable amount of time from receiving the appeal. If a student’s appeal is denied, the student will be notified and a copy of the official letter will be placed in the student's permanent, official records file in the Registrar's Office. If the charge is severe enough to warrant dismissal, the student will be withdrawn from all current coursework and suspended from the institution. A notation of “suspension dismissal” will be noted on the student’s transcript.