The following items are considered examples of academic violations of the Honor Code. These items are not the only academic violations to be considered. If a student is in doubt about some practice, the advisor and/or instructor should be consulted.
- Dishonest Preparation of Course Work
In the preparation of assignments, intellectual honesty demands that a student not copy another student’s work. When writing a paper, it is proper to acknowledge all sources of information. - Dishonest Examination Behavior
The unauthorized giving or receiving of information during examinations or quizzes (this applies to all types, such as written, oral, lab, or take-home) is dishonest examination behavior. Unauthorized use of books, notes, papers, etc. is not acceptable. - Papers Borrowed or Purchased
It shall be considered an act of dishonesty for a student to submit to an instructor any paper that has been borrowed or purchased from any source whatsoever. Such work is not the true work of the student who submits the paper, and such action is as reprehensible as copying from another paper during a test. - Excessive Help
It shall also be considered an act of dishonesty for a student to receive excessive help from another student with the preparation or completion of any academic assignment to be submitted to an instructor. Such excessive help shall be held to exist when it exceeds the general discussion of ideas. In short, excessive help is that in which the helper rewrites all or any portion of the paper. The individual instructor will define the parameters of legitimate help. - Plagiarism
Plagiarism
is a form of stealing in which another person’s ideas or even his/her very words are borrowed without acknowledgment or credit being given. Plagiarism may include directly copying an entire paper from a single source to a merging together of quotations from many sources; it exists when these sources are not properly identified and when the quoted material is not put in quotation marks or indented. Even when the student paraphrases the ideas of another writer, the student is obligated to credit that writer. - Aiding and Abetting
Aiding and abetting, that is participating in any way in cheating, is considered academic dishonesty and shall be treated with the same consequences. - Unauthorized Collaboration
A test or assignment is given to the individual with the expectation that it be completed independently without assistance from another student or outside sources of information unless collaboration with others or use of resource materials is specified by the instructor.
With respect to academic integrity concerns, faculty members of Cottey College are responsible for determining if a situation has risen to the level of academic dishonesty (cheating) and for the discipline of students whom they believe to be guilty of academic dishonesty in their classrooms.
The consequence of an academic violation of the Honor Code will depend on whether the violation is a single incident or multiple incidents. The result may range from a failing grade on the assignment, a failing grade in the course, or expulsion from the course. The faculty member teaching the class in which the academic dishonesty occurred will decide which of these consequences to enforce, in accordance with the guidelines set forth above.
Any student found responsible of academic dishonesty will be reported by the faculty member to the vice president for academic affairs. If it is determined by one or more members of the faculty that a student is responsible for academic dishonesty more than once during enrollment at Cottey, the vice president, at their discretion, will determine whether the consequences for the dishonesty will exceed those for the individual class or classes. Depending on the severity of the violations, the vice president for academic affairs reserves the right to expel the student from the College.
Any student who has had sanctions imposed by a faculty member and/or the vice president for academic affairs may appeal the case before an Academic Appeals Board. The Academic Appeals Board is appointed by the vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) each academic year. The VPAA will appoint two students recommended by the vice president of student life and enrollment and two faculty members from the Faculty Curriculum Committee to serve on the Board. The Academic Appeals Board will be chaired by a faculty member elected by vote of the faculty each year. The chair will serve in a nonvoting capacity except in cases of a tie vote. If the Chair of the Appeals Board, another faculty member, or a student member is involved in the case, the VPAA will appoint an alternate member(s) to serve. The student appeal must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Academic Appeals Board within three school days of the date that the sanction was imposed. A hearing will take place within three school days of the submitted appeal. The decision of the Academic Appeals Board will be final.
Students are ethically responsible under the terms of the Honor Code for reporting occurrences of academic dishonesty to the faculty member in whose classes the alleged cheating may have occurred.