Procedures

The University guarantees students the provision of due process. Students are first expected, however, to avail themselves of the University’s established tradition of informal appeal. Steps 1-4 describe the informal process. Steps 5-7 describe the procedures designed to implement a formal appeal at the graduate/undergraduate levels.

Step 1: The faculty member decides whether or not a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy has occurred.

Step 2: The faculty member informs the student and the department chair that an alleged violation of the Academic Honesty Policy has occurred. It is the faculty member’s obligation to select or devise an academic sanction consistent with the severity of the violation.

Step 3: The faculty member informs the student of the academic sanction and the process of appeal. If the sanction involves a lowering of a term grade, the faculty member informs the registrar of the change.

Step 4: If the student disagrees with the faculty member’s allegation and/or recommended sanction, the student pursues the University’s longstanding tradition of informal appeal by consulting with the faculty member, and, if the student still disagrees, by appealing to the department chair.

Step 5: If after the informal appeal, the student still disagrees with the faculty member’s allegation or recommended sanction, the student may appeal in writing to the academic department no later than the end of the first week of the following semester. The department chair will provide the student with formal (a) departmental appeal procedures for undergraduates and special students or (b) departmental graduate appeal procedures for graduate students. (See specific written departmental appeal process.)

Step 6: Graduate students: If a graduate student disagrees with the allegation(s) or recommended sanction in the informal procedure, the graduate student may formally appeal through the Graduate School’s graduate student appeals procedures. The formal graduate student appeal procedure begins with a written appeal to the department chair no later than the first week of the following semester. The written appeal should state the specific reasons for the formal appeal to the department.

Undergraduate/special students: If the student is an undergraduate or special student and disagrees with the departmental allegation or recommended sanction, the student may appeal in writing to the provost no later than 15 working days following the decision.

Step 7: For undergraduate and special students, an administrative hearing panel will be formed by the provost to hear the undergraduate or special student appeal. The administrative hearing panel will consist of an academic administrator, assistant vice president for student affairs (assigned to work with student judicial affairs), four faculty members, and a student. The administrative hearing panel procedures for undergraduate and special students are available in the Office of the Provost.