Academic Integrity Policy

This policy became effective upon approval by the Faculty Senate on March 27, 2015, and supersedes any academic integrity policies previously published by The University of Tampa.

Academic integrity stands at the heart of intellectual life and is a core principle that underpins how we live and learn in a community of inquiry. The University of Tampa is committed to the development of each student to become a productive and responsible citizen who embraces the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. The community at UT strives to instill values that uphold academic integrity and promotes an ethical standard that does not condone academic misconduct. To that end, this policy has been designed to educate students about the expectation that each student at all times behave with academic integrity and avoid academic misconduct.

I. Expectations for All Students

At the outset, it must be understood that academic integrity is a core student responsibility that encompasses both the individual pursuit of knowledge in an honest manner and accountability for one’s actions in achieving academic objectives. Students are expected to act ethically in the pursuit of learning, and to avoid the types of behaviors that impair the effective assessment of learning through grades or other processes designed to quantify when successful learning has been achieved. To that end, students are expected to abide by this policy in all academic endeavors. This includes, without limitation, all course work, examinations, assignments or any activity that may affect a grade or in any way contribute toward the satisfaction of requirements for course completion, program completion or graduation.

No policy is able to list every way in which an academic endeavor can be compromised. Changes in technology, the ease of access to information and even the ability to collaborate across multiple forums have exponentially increased the ways in which students can choose to engage in academic misconduct. Therefore, this policy details by general category the types of activities that are prohibited, regardless of the means or manner in which the prohibited conduct is carried out. Faculty members are expected to consult with the Office of the Associate Provost in dealing with academic integrity violations and academic misconduct cases.

II. Categories of Behavior

Academic misconduct can be defined generally as all acts of dishonesty in an academic or related matter. All forms of academic dishonesty and misconduct are considered academic integrity violations and are subject to sanctions. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following categories of behavior. All examples offered are illustrative only, and do not preclude the imposition of sanctions for other forms of behavior falling within a given category.

1. Cheating. Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials or sources in connection with any assignment, examination or other academic exercise, or having someone else do work for you when not expressly authorized by the faculty member.
2. Unauthorized assistance or collaboration. Giving or receiving aid on an assignment, examination or other academic exercise without the express prior approval of the faculty member.
3. Inappropriate use of others’ work (plagiarism). Using the words, thoughts or ideas of another without attribution or the use of standard citation expectations applicable to the field of study, so that they seem as if they are your own. This type of misconduct can take many forms. The most blatant forms include copying someone else’s work word for word or turning in a paper written by another with your name as the author. Other examples include rewriting someone else’s work with only minor changes, or summarizing another’s work or taking another person’s ideas without acknowledging the source through proper attribution and citation.
4. Misappropriation of and damage to academic materials. Damaging, misappropriating or disabling academic resources to try and prevent others from using them. This includes but is not limited to taking steps to attempt to deprive others of access to library materials or shared electronic media by stealing, damaging, destroying, sequestering, misfiling or removing pages from printed material available from the library, or deleting, damaging, sabotaging, reprogramming or intentionally introducing computer infectors (worms, viruses, etc.) into computers, software and databases.
5. Compromising examination security or grade integrity. Invading the security maintained for the preparing or storing of examinations, circumventing security controls, tampering with exam-making or exam-taking software or discussing any part of a test or examination with a student who has not yet taken that examination but is scheduled to do so. Also, changing, altering, falsifying or being accessory to the changing, altering or falsifying of a grade report or form, or entering any university office, building or accessing a computer for that purpose.
6. Multiple submissions. Submitting work you have done in previous classes at this or another institution as if it were new and original work. Although faculty members occasionally may be willing to let you use previous work as the basis for new work, they expect you to do new work for each class. Students seeking to submit a piece of work to more than one class must have the written permission of both instructors.
7. Deception and misrepresentation. Lying about or misrepresenting your work, academic records, credentials or other academic matters or information, or fabricating academic materials. Examples of deception and misrepresentation include but are not limited to forging signatures, forging letters of recommendation, falsifying academic records, fabricating research, data, sources, giving false sources, misrepresenting contributions in group or team efforts, and altering test answers and then claiming the instructor inappropriately graded the examination. The category of deception and misrepresentation also encompasses any attempt to misrepresent oneself or provide misleading and false information in an attempt to access another user's computer account, and attempts to falsely represent or exaggerate your circumstances to either gain an academic advantage or to negate the effect of sanctions through policies like course forgiveness.
8. Failing to respect copyright. Improperly reproducing copyrighted material rather than acquiring the material from an authorized source. This would include the unlawful copying of hardcopy materials and digital materials such as e-books and e-chapters.
9. Electronic dishonesty. Using network or computer access inappropriately, in a way that affects a class or other students’ academic work. Non-exhaustive examples of electronic dishonesty include tampering with another student’s account so that student cannot complete or submit an assignment, stealing a student’s work through electronic means or knowingly spreading a computer virus.
10. Engaging in or facilitating academic dishonesty. Helping someone else to commit an act of academic dishonesty. This includes but is not limited to giving someone your work product to copy or allowing someone to cheat from your examination or assignment, substituting for another student or permitting any other person to substitute for you to take a test or examination, writing a paper or other assignment for another student either for free or for payment, stealing, buying, selling, giving away or otherwise obtaining without authorization all or part of any un-administered test/examination or entering any university office or building for the purpose of obtaining an un-administered test/examination. Also prohibited is contributing to uploading a faculty member’s tests, assignments, notes, lecture slides, projects, solutions, old lab data or other material to websites where this material can be accessed by other students without the express permission of the faculty member.
11. Writing past end of examination. Continuing to write a test or examination when the time allotted has expired.
12. Coercion or retaliation. Attempting to obtain a test, examination or other academic information to which you are not entitled by coercive means, or harassing or threatening others for reporting or for cooperating with the investigation of possible academic integrity or academic misconduct violations.

III. Reporting Process

Faculty members on their own initiative are responsible for examining any instance of possible academic misconduct within the courses and academic endeavors they supervise. Individuals believing that a student or students have committed a violation of this policy should in the first instance report the matter to the faculty member in charge of the academic endeavor at issue. Alternatively, any such matter can be reported to the Office of Associate Provost, who in turn will provide the information to the faculty member so the report can be assessed. Regardless of how allegations are brought forward, the following details the steps to be followed for the initial examination of the issue and the possible imposition of sanctions.

1. Initial Assessment: Upon becoming aware of a possible violation of this policy, the faculty member will gather such information as is reasonably available to determine whether a violation has occurred. Once that has been done, the faculty member will initiate the conferral process described below in a timely fashion. While allegations involving multiple students may be bundled into a single incident, each student will be given an individual opportunity to meet and a separate reporting form for completion if a violation is found.
2. Prior Violation Inquiry: Prior to the student conference, the faculty member is to check with the Office of the Associate Provost to determine if prior academic integrity violations or academic misconduct violations exist for which the student has been determined responsible.
3. Conferral: The faculty member will then meet with the student to discuss the allegations in an effort to determine if a policy violation has occurred, and to allow the student an opportunity to respond to the concerns and provide any information relevant to that determination. In anticipation of that meeting, the faculty member will complete the Reporting Form for Academic Integrity Violation or Academic Misconduct Violation (available at www.ut.edu/provost), which will then be used in the meeting to notify the student about the issue. The faculty member must include an academic witness, for example, the academic department chairperson, the college's associate dean or the director of the degree program, in the meeting. When absolutely necessary, the initial meeting and opportunity for response by the student may occur by electronic mail or other electronic means.
4. No Violation Found: If, as a result of the meeting and/or such further investigation that the faculty member deems appropriate, the allegations of possible policy violations are not substantiated, then the process is terminated and no further action is required of the faculty member. The reporting form used to notify the student should be destroyed.
5. Violation Found: If the faculty member determines, after meeting with the student, that one or more policy violations have occurred, and for first or second offenses, the student will be told of the sanction and asked to complete and sign the Academic Integrity Reporting form. Within the form for a first or second violation, the student has the option to either accept the proposed sanction, or to request a determination by the Office of the Associate Provost. Note: When review is requested, the Office of the Associate Provost is not bound by the recommendation of the faculty member, and may eliminate, impose greater, lesser or different sanctions that those originally recommended. To effectuate this process, the faculty member should obtain the student's signature on the reporting form and the student's check mark indicating his/her decision to accept the sanction or to request that a determination be made by the Office of the Associate Provost.
6. Handling Third Violations: For a third violation by the student, the faculty member may not sanction the student but instead must forward the reporting form to the Office of the Associate Provost.
7. Findings Submission: Under either alternative, the faculty member should retain one copy with the reporting form, provide the student with a copy and forward the original to the Office of the Associate Provost. A copy of the information gathered in support of the determination that a violation occurred and the course syllabus must be forwarded to the Office of the Associate Provost with the reporting form.
8. Lack of Cooperation: If a student is uncooperative (i.e., nonresponsive, refusing to promptly meet or unwilling to sign the reporting form), the faculty member should forward the reporting form to the Office of the Associate Provost indicating the situation. For first or second violations, the faculty member may proceed with their sanction as if the student has accepted it, subject only to the Academic Integrity Committee appeal process to the extent permitted in this policy. Sanctions for third violations will be imposed at the Associate Provost level, and also subject to appeal to the extent permitted by policy.

IV. Sanctions for Academic Integrity and Academic Misconduct Violations

Academic integrity and academic misconduct violations tarnish the University's reputation and discredit the accomplishments of past and present students. Even while recognizing that college students are still developing an understanding of academic integrity, we believe sanctions are also needed to protect and foster a scholarly community that embraces the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. The severity of a sanction is limited by the academic position of the individual imposing the sanction. 

1. Range of Sanctions and Authority to Impose: The range of available sanctions and their severity is determined by the academic position of the individual imposing the sanction. Stated more simply, faculty members possess complete authority to impose course or activity-based sanctions related to the particular academic endeavor when a violation is determined to have occurred, while the Office of the Associate Provost has the authority to impose a broader range of sanctions affecting the student beyond the specific academic endeavor at issue, or to modify or eliminate sanctions in a review capacity for the reasons stated below. On appeal, the Academic Integrity Committee has the authority to modify, in whole or part, any sanctions recommended or imposed at a lower level. 
   1. Sanctions by a Faculty Member: A faculty member cannot sanction a student for an academic integrity violation without formally submitting a Reporting Form for Academic Integrity Violation or Academic Misconduct Violation to the Office of the Associate Provost. 
      1. A faculty member can impose sanctions limited to the course where the academic integrity violation occurred. For example, depending on the severity of the academic integrity violation, a faculty member can require a make-up assignment at a more difficult level, reduce the grade on the student’s work containing the violation, give no credit for the work in question, reduce the course grade for the student regardless of accumulated course grade points or fail the student from the course. 
      2. Also, a faculty member can require the student to complete some activity designed to strengthen and/or test the student’s understanding of the academic integrity policy. 
      3. When a sanction allows a student to continue in the course, a faculty member can also request that the student not be allowed to complete an evaluation of the faculty member at the end of the course.
      4. When an academic integrity violation is so severe that the faculty member decides that sanctions at his/her level are insufficient, the faculty member can request specific sanctions and require that the violation be adjudicated by the Office of the Associate Provost. 
      5. Because finding a student responsible for a third academic integrity or academic misconduct violation results in automatic expulsion, as discussed in the Severe and/or Repeat Offenses section below, if this is a third violation by a student, the faculty member may not sanction the student but instead must forward the reporting form to the Office of the Associate Provost for adjudication.
   2. Sanctions by the Office of the Associate Provost: The role of the Office of the Associate Provost in determining sanctions varies depending on how the report is submitted.

      In all cases in which the student requests a determination by the Office of the Associate Provost for sanctions imposed by the faculty member, the Office of the Associate Provost serves as the reviewer on whether the violation(s) occurred and also may review the sanctions imposed. As a result of such review, the Office of the Associate Provost may determine no violation took place, affirm the sanctions imposed by a faculty member, reduce or modify those sanctions, and/or impose additional sanctions.

      For those circumstances in which the Office of the Associate Provost determines the sanctions in the first instance (i.e., for a third violation by the student or when requested by the faculty member), the Office of the Associate Provost has full authority to impose any sanction that could have been imposed at the faculty member level plus such additional sanctions as can be imposed more broadly, such as suspension from the University for one or more terms, or expulsion from the University.

      In either circumstance, the student will be notified that a deadline has been set for the student to submit any written supporting documents or arguments. A meeting may be directed by the Office of the Associate Provost, but is not required. A student who fails to appear without good cause after a meeting has been set forfeits the opportunity to be heard in that forum.

      The Office of the Associate Provost will make a determination as to whether the student is responsible or not for the violations and decide whether to affirm, reduce, modify or nullify the original sanctions, or to impose additional or alternative sanctions.

      The Office of the Associate Provost will communicate its findings to the faculty member, to the student, and to any administrative offices involved in the sanction.

      Student who are found responsible for academic integrity violations may repeat the course, but are not eligible for Grade Forgiveness for the grade received in the course in which the academic integrity violation was committed. Students who petition for grade forgiveness for a course in which they have an adjudicated academic integrity violation may be charged by the Office of the Associate Provost with an academic misconduct violation.

2. Severe and/or Repeat Offenses: The severity of a sanction should consider prior instances of academic misconduct violations by the same student. Multiple academic integrity violations should normally result in more severe sanctions. It is for this reason that, before imposing sanctions, faculty members must inquire about other academic integrity violations for which the student was found responsible.

   The Office of the Associate Provost may deem that a specific violation or violations is either sufficiently egregious on its own, or the past academic integrity record of the student is such that it warrants a sanction of expulsion regardless of the existence or nonexistence of prior violations under this or other policies.

   If a student is found responsible for a third academic integrity or academic misconduct violation, the sanction will be automatic and immediate expulsion from the University, representing a permanent separation from The University of Tampa.

3. Timing of Sanctions: Sanctions will be effectuated upon completion of the processes under this policy, including any appeal.

   A sanction may be retroactively applied if the violation is not discovered until after the semester is over or the student found responsible but the process is not fully concluded before a semester ends. In the case where the integrity violation is not concluded before the semester ends, the faculty member will enter a grade of "I" or incomplete until the adjudication of the violation is final. Folllowing the final adjudication, including any appeal, the faculty member will enter a grade for the student in compliance with the final adjudication. In the case of suspension for one or more terms or expulsion, the Office of the Associate Provost must notify the Registrar to withdraw the student from all classes except the class in which the violation occurred. The faculty member of the class where the violation occurred will give a grade to the student for the course. The Registrar must inform all other affected faculty that the student has withdrawn from their classes, as is done normally when a student withdraws.

   If the final processes under this policy are not completed until after the semester has finished, the student will not be withdrawn from all other courses and the grades attained by the student in the other courses will remain as earned. However, where the possible sanctions of suspension or expulsion are still under review, the student will not be allowed to register for subsequent terms until the process is complete.

V. Appeal

The Academic Integrity Committee serves as the body to which appeals under this policy can be directed. All appeals must be in writing, and must be received by the Office of the Associate Provost within 10 business days after the student is notified on sanctions by the Office of the Associate Provost. Once an appeal is filed, the Office of the Associate Provost will promptly provide the file and the appeal to the Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee.

1. Grounds for Appeal: The only acceptable grounds for an appeal to the Academic Integrity Committee are new information not previously available to the student or faculty member or specific errors in the procedures followed which denied the student or faculty member a reasonable opportunity to participate in the process. Any grounds, including the nature of any new information, must be specifically stated on the appeal form. Please note that disputing general fairness and/or dislike of issued sanctions are not acceptable grounds for an appeal. The Academic Integrity Committee will determine the facial sufficiency of any appeal based on these criteria.

   If it is determined that sufficient grounds for an appeal are not adequately stated, the appeal will be dismissed and the student so notified.

   If it is determined that sufficient grounds are stated for an appeal, the Committee will promptly meet to consider the appeal.

2. Appeal Meetings: The appellant may be invited or required to appear before the Committee for a meeting, but no such meeting, even if requested, is required to be held. Therefore, it is the appellant’s responsibility to submit all information available in support of an appeal. If the Committee determines that it will allow or require the appellant to appear, the following procedures will be used:
   1. The Committee will expeditiously schedule a meeting date and notify the student, the faculty member and the Office of the Associate Provost.
   2. The appellant will be allowed the opportunity to first speak to the grounds for his or her appeal, following which the Committee may ask questions of the appellant. The faculty member and/or a representative of the Office of the Associate Provost, depending on who imposed the final sanctions, will then be given an opportunity to respond, or in the case of a faculty member appeal, the student will have an opportunity to respond.
   3. The Committee may elect to hear from others at their discretion, but are not required to do so given the limited grounds for which appeal is permitted.

   If an appellant fails without good cause to appear at a scheduled meeting, the meeting may be held and the matter resolved with the appellant in absentia. The Committee will record the meeting, except for the final deliberations by the Committee members. No other recording devices will be allowed in the meeting.

3. Committee Findings: The Committee may affirm, modify or eliminate the original sanctions. The Committee can also remand the matter back to the Office of the Associate Provost if it determines that new information has come forward and should be considered by that office and/or the original faculty member involved in the finding of a violation or decision on sanctions.

   The student and faculty member will be notified of the appeal outcome promptly following a Committee decision, and usually within 72 hours. The Committee’s decision is the final decision for the university.

VI. Status During Process

In general, a student will remain enrolled in a course or a participant in other academic endeavors pending the outcome of any process under this policy. Once an official violation accusation has been made, the student may not withdraw from the class or from the University until the accusation is resolved. The Office of the Associate Provost must notify the Registrar and/or the appropriate degree program director that the student cannot drop the class or withdraw from the University.

If the student is found not responsible, the student will be given a letter acknowledging that the student was not responsible for the alleged violation and the student may choose to withdraw from the course or from the University. If the published withdraw date has passed, the action of the Committee shall supersede the published drop date so the student will still have the opportunity to withdraw without any penalties by the university. Before making a withdrawal decision, students are encouraged to see student financial services to be sure they understand any consequences outside the University related to withdrawal that are as a result of the regulatory or other requirements associated with any financial aid.

If the student is found responsible for the academic integrity violation by the instructor or upon appeal found responsible by the Office of the Associate Provost or Academic Integrity Committee, the sanction will be imposed and the student will receive a grade in the course. If the student found responsible has withdrawn from the course, s/he will be re-enrolled, and a grade for the course recorded.

Moreover, if a possible violation is pending a determination when a student is scheduled to graduate, the student’s degree may be withheld at least until the matter is resolved. The Office of the Associate Provost will notify the Registrar and/or the appropriate degree program director, as needed, to effectuate this restriction.

VII. Relationship of Academic Misconduct to Other Policies

The fact that a student is charged or found to have committed an academic misconduct violation does not preclude the student from also being charged or sanctioned under other applicable policies covering one or more aspects of the underlying behavior for which the student has been charged. This most commonly occurs when the academic misconduct involves damage to or loss of University property or compromise of the computer network system. In such circumstances, the facts of what occurred that may constitute a violation of other policies will be forwarded to the Office of Student Conduct for a determination or responsibility and the possible imposition of sanctions under the applicable process. Any sanctions imposed administered under this policy will be taken into account when considering whether to impose additional sanctions for other policy violations.

VIII. Recordkeeping

All academic integrity violations for which a student was found responsible are to be kept on file in the Office of the Associate Provost regardless of the source of the allegation, the level of determination of sanctions, or the ultimate outcome. This includes the reporting form, supporting documents and any recordings made at any step of the process will be filed in the Office of the Associate Provost. While records of actual sanctions imposed which appear outside the file (for example, an “F” grade) will continue to exist, the underlying files relating to any of violations as to a particular student will be expunged one year after the student's final graduation from all degree programs within the University, and the student's name will be expunged from the course forgiveness list.

Acknowledgements

In originally developing this policy as approved in December 2009, we reviewed and adapted academic integrity policies of the following colleges and universities, some of which we again reviewed in preparing updates: Rowan University, Kansas State University, University of Miami, Rollins College, Eckerd College, Stetson University, Chapman University, Florida Institute of Technology, Barry University, Jacksonville University, Florida Southern College, Nova Southeastern University, Saint Leo University, Flagler College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bradley University and American University. We added to that list the Texas Tech University Statement of Academic Integrity as part of our 2015 review.