03.03 Process and Procedures
- Suspecting a case In the situation where a case has been suspected in a submitted written document, the faculty instructor should first determine the source of the violation as documentation of proof. This may range from original source material (textbooks, websites, etc.) to a fellow student’s assignment. The instructor may wish to consult colleagues in his or her department for assistance in this regard. Note that it is possible to suspect a violation without being able to supply proof when the submitted material is substantially different from work produced previously by the same student.
- Identifying a case Upon identification of a violation of academic integrity, the faculty instructor has the responsibility to follow the reporting structures defined below. When the case is being brought to light by a teaching assistant, it will be the responsibility of the supervising faculty member to follow through with the process.
- Consultation with the Chair of the Department and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Once a case has been identified, the faculty instructor should consult with his or her department chair to discuss appropriate sanctions for the type of violation in question. At the same time, the instructor should also speak with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs to see whether the student in question has been guilty of a previous violation of academic integrity at the Eastman School of Music. If s/he has been, the current case will be immediately forwarded to the Academic Integrity Committee for review and sanction. Until a final outcome is determined, the student will be expected to continue in the course. The Associate Dean may also advise the faculty instructor as to appropriate penalties (see below) and suggestions as to how to manage the discussion with the student. This will ensure consistency across departments as to how cases are handled and sanctioned.
- Discussion with the student With documentation in hand, the faculty instructor should meet with the student and discuss his/her contention that the work submitted is not original. Penalties for the breach of academic integrity (as listed below) should be discussed with the student. It is possible that two meetings may be held – an initial meeting where the faculty instructor presents his/her suspicions to the student, and a second meeting where a sanction is agreed to.Note that a student may not drop or withdraw from a course while a charge is pending, or in which s/he has been charged with and found guilty of a breach of academic integrity.Penalties: The standard penalty for any breach of academic integrity is to assign zero credit for the assignment/paper/examination in question. In cases deemed more egregious, the penalty may be more severe, including course failure, suspension and expulsion. Should the faculty instructor determine that it is educationally valid to require the student to re-submit the work, no credit will be granted for the re-submission. The intent of the resubmission is purely educational and is not meant to offer an option to counterbalance the initial grade. In cases where the assignment/paper/examination bears a significant percentage of the total grade, the zero credit may indeed result in a failing grade for the course. Should this be the outcome, the student will face further ramifications, namely:
- At the undergraduate level, a course failure caused by a violation of academic integrity results in a semester financial aid and academic warning.
- Any graduate student who fails any course as a result of a documented breach of academic integrity will be placed on probation. A graduate student on probation may not hold a graduate award. In addition, a graduate student will not be allowed to use graduate award funds to pay for the cost of a course that is being taken to replace a course failed as the result of an academic integrity violation.
Faculty must submit an Academic Integrity Incident Report for each offense. This report, along with a copy of the work in question and all supporting documentation, should be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Upon receipt of such a report, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will notify the student in writing that a charge has been filed in their record, give the student a copy of the Academic Integrity Policy for their review, and in a meeting at least 48 hours later, advise the student as to the gravity of the situation as well as to the consequences of any further such actions. Students will be asked to submit a brief written statement documenting their response to the charge and indicating whether they plan to contest the incident. The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the student will then sign a report in acknowledgment that the meeting has taken place and that the student fully understands that any additional offense will result in suspension from the Eastman School of Music.
- Hearings before the Academic Integrity Committee
Contested cases. Should the student wish to contest his/her guilt or the penalty that is being levied, s/he may do so by filing an appeal in writing to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs within thirty (30) days of the meeting with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs regarding the infraction. The Associate Dean will then convene a hearing at the first available notice to ensure a quick resolution to the situation. In this case, the faculty member should submit the following materials to the Associate Dean for review by the Academic Integrity Committee:
- A summary of the charge against the student, as well as of the discussion with the student
- A copy of the written document in question, if applicable
- A copy of the source material(s), if applicable
Until a final decision is rendered by the Committee, the student will be considered innocent and will be expected to continue in the course.
The student submitting the appeal will appear before the Committee with a prepared verbal statement, explaining the grounds on which s/he is asserting his/her innocence or is contesting the charge brought against him/her. At such a hearing, the student has the right to bring an advisor who may confer with and assist him/her but may not speak for him or her as an advocate. The advisor may be any member of the University community who is not an attorney. These are not legal proceedings, so there is no need for legal aid.
The Committee will review all materials submitted by the faculty member, as well as those presented by the student. Based on the evidence, the Committee will render a decision regarding the student’s innocence or the sanction. A two-thirds vote is sufficient to convict. Sanctions for a first offense may range from failure of the assignment, up to and including removal from leadership positions, loss of performance opportunities or financial penalties.
The Committee will call the student to appear personally before it to hear its decision. The Chair of the Committee also communicates the decision to the student by letter.
The Committee’s formal hearings will be audio recorded, with the resulting recording to be retained with the evidence of the case.
Multiple offenses. The Eastman School prides itself on the excellence of its academic and performance programs. To this end, second breaches of academic integrity are considered egregious and typically result in suspension or expulsion of the student.
The student in question will be called to a Committee hearing convened by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. S/he will be expected to have provided a written statement for the Committee’s review, as well as a verbal statement to be presented at the hearing. The student has the right to bring an advisor who may confer with and assist him/her but may not speak for him or her as an advocate. The advisor may be any member of the University community who is not an attorney. These are not legal proceedings, so there is no need for legal aid.
All materials from previous cases as well as from the current case will be reviewed by the Committee, and a final determination of sanctions will be made based on the evidence. This may range from loss of institutional merit aid to expulsion, depending on the severity of the charges. The Committee will call the student to appear personally before it to hear its decision. The Chair of the Committee also communicates the decision to the student by letter.
The Dean will automatically review any case in which the penalty is to be suspension or expulsion from the School. Such penalty can take effect only if specifically ratified by the Dean.
- Appeals
Grounds for appeal. An appeal is intended to provide an opportunity to consider any previously overlooked, exceptional, or unfair circumstances pertinent to a case heard by the Academic Integrity Committee. It is not intended to be a rehearing of the events presented at the original committee hearing. The only grounds on which an appeal can be made are:
- To review the sanction in order to determine whether it was appropriate;
- To consider information sufficient to alter the decision that was not brought out at the hearing; or
- To determine whether errors substantive enough to affect the decision were made during the hearing.
Process of appeal. An appeal must be made in writing to the Dean of the School within 30 days of the date of the notice officially stating the Committee’s decision. This letter of appeal will be the formal basis of appeal. The letter should state the grounds on which an appeal is made and what the appellant believes supports an appeal on those grounds. The Dean may review some or all of the material from the original hearing before considering an appeal. The Dean may consult with anyone s/he feels is pertinent to, or would be helpful in determining the appeal.
Effect of appeal. The student filing the appeal will receive a written decision from the Dean. The Dean may reduce the penalty, or may ask the Committee to review its determination of guilt. The Dean may not increase the penalty or unilaterally reverse a finding of guilty by the Committee.
A student dissatisfied with the disposition of his or her case at the Dean’s level may appeal to the Provost of the University. The appeal must be submitted within seven days of the Dean’s written decision. At the discretion of the Dean or Provost, where appropriate, all or some of the sanctions may be suspended pending the final outcome of the case. All decisions made by the Provost are final.
